Electroplating is commonly used in integrated circuit manufacturing processes to form electrically conductive structures. For example, in a copper damascene process, electroplating is used to form copper lines and vias within channels previously etched into a dielectric layer. In such a process, a seed layer of copper is first deposited into the channels and on the substrate surface via physical vapor deposition. Then, electroplating is used to deposit a thicker copper layer over the seed layer such that the channels are completely filled. Excess copper is then removed by chemical mechanical polishing, thereby forming the individual copper features.
Current electroplating systems may be classified as “open contact” and “closed contact.” Open contact plating systems are systems in which the wafer contacts that deliver electric current to the seed layer during plating are exposed to the plating solution. Likewise, closed contact plating systems are those in which the contacts are not exposed to the plating solution.
Both open and closed contact electroplating systems may undergo a cleaning process on a scheduled basis to ensure proper system performance. For example, in a closed contact system, scheduled maintenance may be periodically performed to remove plating solution residues that may be potentially deposited in the cup by removal of wafers from the cup. However, such maintenance may involve relatively slow and labor-intensive manual processes. This may involve taking the electroplating system offline during cleaning, thereby causing system downtime and decreased throughput.